As BP moves closer to permanently containing the Gulf oil spill, four major oil companies are moving to ensure there's a rapid response system in place, in the event of a future deep-sea well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico.

It’s no secret that bond funds are where the action has been over the past year, with most new fund money going their way. What is a secret—or at least something that never gets discussed—is the cost of investing in bond funds.

In a CNBC Exclusive, Marvin Odum, President of Shell Oil Americas and Shell Oil Upstream Americas Director told Maria Bartiromo that Shell may be interested in some BP assets if the British oil giant is considering a sale of its assets.

Today and tomorrow, Maria Bartiromo will host CNBC’s Closing Bell live from Aspen Ideas Festival. Over the last 50 years, this gathering has become the place for global leaders to come and gather at the one of the world's most beautiful spots to discuss the most innovative ideas and the most pressing issues.

Some of BP’s other trading partners, or counterparties, are asking for letters of credit from banks to guarantee that BP will make good on future trading debts, says one of the people familiar with the matter.

Gander Mountain charged that on co-branded cards—these are cards that can be used anywhere as a Gander Mountain Master Card—ADS won’t give credit to Gander Mountain customers with FICO scores above 800.

While oil companies have spent billions of dollars to drill deeper and farther out to sea, relatively little money and research have gone into finding new, improved ways to respond to oil spills in deepsea conditions like those in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Louisiana judge who struck down the Obama administration's six-month ban on deepwater oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico has reported extensive investments in the oil and gas industry, according to financial disclosure reports. He's also a new member of a secret national security court.